Valentine's Day Oneshots
by nanirain
Summary: 3 SakuSasu oneshots. For Valentine's day... Sasuke is having trouble coping with it. as for Sakura? Well... Disclaimer: No recognizable material belongs to me Thanx to the reviewer who pointed that out.
1. An Avalanche of Pink

**A/N**: So it's getting closer and closer to Valentine's Day, and i figured that I could give you guys a present in the form of three Sakura/Sasuke oneshots.

This is the first of the three. :) hope you enjoy.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was only mildly repulsed when he opened the front door to an avalanche of pink.

_What the_…?

There was white too, which wasn't nearly as offensive. And shiny paper and pounds of glitter that was getting stuck in between the cracks of his newly polished wooden floor and… lace… and…

A muscle in his jaw ticked with tightly sealed annoyance. His eyebrow joined in with a decisive '_I'm an Uchiha and I'm annoyed'_-twitch.

Ok.

It was disgusting.

Not so gingerly, the dark haired nineteen-year-old pushed away the heart shaped objects and overturned the occasional box of chocolates – which only served to perplex him more - with the toe of his wooden slipper, digging around until he finally found what he had been looking for in the first place: Naruto's progress report. He picked it up and nearly barfed when he saw a thick white tendril of girly lace clinging to it greedily, like the evil fan-girl it was. The Uchiha shot the piece of lace a nasty look, but it didn't shrivel up and fall to the floor as intended. Finally, he resorted to shaking scroll hard about fifty seven times, and banging it against the wall twice before the lace finally let go and fluttered back down, injured and dejected.

Served it right.

He rolled his shoulder with irritation, twisting his neck as an early morning stretch. His rotator cuff may have just been slightly dislocated from frantic… err… no, "violent" – yes, that was a much better word - his _violent_ efforts. Sasuke made sure to pop it back into place as he walked back into the main hall, shutting the sliding door firmly on the offensive ocean of pink and red that had been planted in his home.

His Fanclub, which – regretfully, and somehow _inexplicably_– he had returned from his five year absence to find perfectly intact and as flesh-hungry as ever, really didn't know when to quit.

He set the scroll down on the kitchen counter and pulled up a stool. He began to read. The window was open, allowing the morning-blue light of dawn stream onto the black lacquered counter. He enjoyed the smell of it, and the feel of morning. Suddenly, his mind jumped back to the mysterious ocean of cards. What the hell were they _doing_ there anyway? He let his darkly beautiful features grow darker as he started to brood. Had his "Fanclub" become organized? Dread. Had they finally stopped trying to tear each other's eyes out and joined forces to annoy him for the rest of his life? More Dread. Had, they, God forbid, grown actual, functioning _brains_?

No. He decided almost immediately after that thought was formed. Definitely not.

Then _what the_ _fuck_?

"SAAAAAAAAAAASUKEEEEEEEEEEE-SAMAAAAAAAAA!"

Sasuke nearly hit the ceiling when his dark thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched, sugar coated voice that came ringing through his kitchen. But he did, however, fall off the stool. He scrambled up from the floor and made sure that no one had seen that – of course they hadn't, or else he would have had to have incinerated them.

"WEE LOVVVVVEEEE YOUUUUUUU!"

Where was that coming from? His dark and slightly reddening eyes found the open window, the source of offense. When he walked over to it, he saw several Konoha girls riding past on a bike, blowing kisses and making their eyes as big and shiny as newly washed dinner plates. He never really_ did_ figure out how they learned to do that…

"WE LOVE YOU SOO MU-"

He glared at them and closed the window shut, locking it, in case they got any ideas in their heads.

"DID YOU SEE HIM??"

Unfortunately, he could still hear them.

"HE WASN'T WEARING A SHIRT!!!"

"EEEK!"

Oh, for –

"OH MY GOOOD!"

Sasuke growled and looked down. His black sweat pants, bare chest, and white socks greeted him. Well, he _had_ just gotten out of bed for crying out loud. And it was Sunday anyway, so he wouldn't start training until seven. He shook his head and sat down in front of Naruto's report again. He was just having a weird morning.

He started to read:

_Sasuke-teme, _

His hand tightened a little around the upper bar of the scroll.

_Progress is coming along well, everything is going as planned. Hope to be back in another four weeks. Tell Tsunade. _

Naruto

P.S. _Do something nice for Sakura-chan today. And lock your doors, because the Fangirls will probably be leaving you a lot of junk in the entrance hall. Later. _

Sasuke stumbled over that last part. _What?_ He slammed his fist down. _Naruto knew? _Ok, if someone didn't start explaining what the hell was going on with this morning he was going to….

His mind suddenly shot back to the ocean of pink cards in his entrance hall, the pink-clad girls who had just rode past his home. That damn piece of lace…

Oh.

Pushing himself off the counter, the Uchiha walked into one of the living rooms and pulled open the calendar to look at the date. **FEBRUARY 14th** it read in big, bold letters, and then beneath that: **Valentine's Day**.

Oh. Well. That explained… a lot.

A knock on his door drew his attention away from the calendar. It was sharp and persistent, and Sasuke was starting to get a headache. When he reached the front door he threw it open and glared. He didn't care who was on the other side, he just want to go away… - _Shit_.

"G-i-i-i-i-ve me an, "S" "A" "S"! "U" "K" "E"!" His visitor shouted, waving pink colored pompoms in his face. "What's that spell?" She squealed.

"I'm surprised you even _can_ spell." He shot darkly to the perky blonde who was dancing on his front step.

"Sasuke!" She finished lamely, falling into a split and opening her hands wide. "Happy Valenti-!"

"Leave." He finished dryly and slid the door closed on her face.

Once he was safe and on the other side of the door, he began to knead his temples slowly, dark hair falling into his face as he tried to draw out the oncoming migraine.

"Who even invented this stupid holiday?" He wondered aloud, fantasizing about tracking the probably long-dead bastard down and killing him in the most inhumane way.

It was only then that a pair of familiar, slender arms slid around his bare waist and linked her fingers in a human clasp around him. Her fingers tickled at the waistline of his pants.

Despite himself, Sasuke felt the corners of his lips form the beginning of a smile at the feeling of her skin on his. She planted a kiss into his shoulder blades; her lips were soft and wet. "I could take her." Sakura teased, and he suppressed a laugh.

"I know you could."

The pink-haired kuniochi smiled against his back and rested her forehead on the slope of his shoulder. Her nose and breath fell on his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day." She yawned. "And good morning… I'm so tired."

Sasuke turned around, taking her by surprise, and swept her up in a long, slow kiss, reveling in the feeling of her melting into him. "Then let's go back to bed." He said when they had finished, breath mingling together.

Sakura blinked and then smiled at him. "Are you trying to be romantic?" She half teased, green eyes glittering.

He pulled her a little bit closer to him, dark eyes luring. "Yes." He answered. "…It's Valentine's Day."

Sakura gave him a sexy smile that made his stomach twist, and led him back into the bedroom from which she had just emerged. "I'm not complaining." She said.

_Happy Valentines' Day. _

_XOX_


	2. Flowers and Chocolate

**A/N**: different tone than the first one. sadder i guess. wutever. thank you all for your reviews! They made me happy. And thank you too to the reviewer who reminded me about disclaimers, you're a life saver.

**Disclaimer: **No recognizable material belongs to me.

* * *

_What didn't work between you and me, I could never try again with anyone else._

Running through snow, Sakura had discovered when she was about four, was actually pretty decent exorcise. Now, at age eighteen, she discovered that running on top of the snow without leaving a single trace of a footprint behind you was even harder.

And when it all came down to it, she didn't love Sasuke anymore.

"Ah!"

Her booted foot broke through the powder, and Sakura sank down to her thigh into the diamond colored dust. Naruto turned around, "Sakura?" His vibrantly blue eyes widened when he saw her waist deep in the snow. "Sakura-chan!" He doubled around, and stood over her, jogging in place on the surface, not breaking through or leaving any imprints, she noticed. "What happened?" Naruto asked.

Sakura cursed silently and pulled herself out of the snow, molding chakra into her palms to hoist herself up and balance on the surface. Kakashi's new exorcise was very much like walk-on-water training they'd started years ago. Only now they were walking on snow. The freak blizzard that had torn through Konoha had left all the rivers and streams they usually practiced on under sheets of ice. At the moment the best substitute was – snow.

Just the way she'd been planning on spending her Valentine's Day. "I'm fine." Sakura affirmed, and resumed her running. Naruto stumbled before joining up with her again.

"You know, Sakura" he panted, once he'd caught up, his breath rising in his face like a cloud of smoke. "You've been acting weird today."

"What?" The pink haired girl asked a little too sharply, turning her head to regard him as they ran, pink strands blowing into her face. "What do you mean?" She asked, her breath also leaving her wetted lips in pillars of hot air.

"You've just been… distracted?" Naruto suggested, squinting as he seemed to search for the right word. "I don't know. You're in your own world today."

Sakura wrinkled her nose at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, Naruto." Lie. Her foot sank about an inch into the snow.

Naruto stared at it, and then blatantly pretended not to have noticed and looked up at the sky as if he'd found something extremely interesting. She knew that there was nothing there. Sakura considered smacking him for being so dumb.

When they finished their laps around the village and returned to base, they finished their logs and then headed for long, hot showers in the locker rooms. "Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called on his way into the boy's side. "Check your locker before you leave, OK? I left you a surprise." He winked mischievously at her and then grinned. Sakura smiled in response, smacking him once this time for good measure.

When she opened up her locker half an hour later, she found that Naruto wasn't the only one. Four cards were waiting for her on the upper shelf, and next to them, a single bar of chocolate from Sai.

"_I've been told that it's custom to give candy on this holiday." _He'd said, glancing down at some notes he'd taken down onto his wrist. Sakura did her best to hide her smile, but couldn't help but let it slip a little. _However, I also know that you dislike it when I go through your "stuff" without asking. _Sai had cleared his throat and then looked at her with utter, deadpan seriousness. _Would you find it acceptable if I left a bar of plain, milk chocolate in your locker at some point this afternoon? _

The pink haired kunoichi had smiled outright when he said that, and given Sai a huge bear-hug. "Thank you."

Her teammate hadn't known how to react at first. The stiffening of his body told her that she'd caught him by surprise. After a moment he awkwardly returned the hug by placing his arms around her shoulders. Sakura had repressed the urge to giggle.

"_Sai, Sakura, you're wasting time_." A deep, silkly voice had split them apart like a rod of lightning. When she'd met Sasuke's black eyes she had to keep herself from flinching. The glare he was using to cut into the two of them was leveling. Beside him, Naruto was stretching lazily, but the blonde stopped at Sasuke's command of, "Let's go. - _Now_." The Uchiha gave another dark look in her and Sai's direction. "Sai, you're running with me. Naruto, you're with Sakura."

"What the-? Hey, I thought Kakashi said that you and _I_ were-"

"Kakashi was wrong." Sasuke said.

Naruto ground his teeth in annoyance and then muttered something about how Kakashi always picked the wrong person to be in charge when he was gone. With that, the four had split into their separate groups to run laps around the village. It looked like Sai and Sasuke had gotten back first.

Sakura let her mind wander back to earlier that day, when Sasuke's eyes had cut into her, leaving her colder than she had been a few hours ago, running on the snow. The image thawed into her brain as she reached in to her locker and pulled out the bar of chocolate, breaking off a corner and popping it into her mouth. It was sweet, and just a little bit bitter – the perfect kind. Sasuke's image resurfaced like boiling water as she began to change, toweling her hair dry as the steam poured out from the empty shower stall. She noticed the flash of yellow and white in at the last possible second. Sakura hesitated and looked inside, hanging her towel on the corner of the door. Wilting in the back corner of her locker was a tiny cluster of sakura flowers and another vibrantly yellow blossom that looked like a Chrysanthemum. Sakura smiled, and thought of Naruto - this must have been his surprise. She plucked the yellow flower out of its place and smelled. But there was no sent. Looking at it confusedly she placed it back inside and dug around for her clothes. Only Naruto could have been so dense as to leave her a scentless flower. After a moment she smiled fondly – she really did love the idiot.

Ino's locker stood next to hers. It read in big, sparkling stickers "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!", followed by a string of fat red hearts. Sakura smiled at the message as she pulled on her baggy white sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, dark red and low cut for Valentine's Day. Though, now she found herself lacking some of the holiday spirit she'd awoken with when she'd picked it out. Setting an elastic in her teeth, she raked her fingers through rose-conditioned hair and scraped it into a sloppy ponytail at the back of her neck. Only the back half stayed intact, the rest of her hair fell at her chin which she tucked behind her ears. She tied it off and took another bite of her chocolate, putting the Valentines inside her bag.

_"I don't feel guilty for what I've done." _Sasuke's voice rang through her head as Sakura slammed her locker door shut. She didn't love him anymore. _"I did what was necessary to get what I wanted. And I have no regrets." _

"Jerk." Sakura added as she popped the lock shut and looped her black winter coat over her arm. She planted an ear bud in her left ear and tried to push out the memories of that day and that specific conversation with Sasuke.

It had happened only two weeks after his return. Orochimaru was dead, and so was Itachi, both by Sasuke and Naruto's hands. Shortly after the boys' return to Konoha, Sakura had approached her childhood love about the gash she'd just closed over Naruto's heart. The one that Sasuke had inflicted. She'd admitted that she loved him, but confessed herself angry and hurt about what he'd done. He'd tried to kill Naruto, and betrayed Team Seven as well as Konoha without so much as a second thought. He'd attacked them. And "severed their bonds" of friendship to gain power.

He told her that he wasn't sorry.

Sakura took another bite out of the chocolate. It was in that moment – at hearing those words - that she knew that one day she'd have to get over Sasuke Uchiha. She _had_ tried. Logically, it should have been easy. How could anybody love a boy who'd throw you, and everything else you cared about, away without a second thought? How could you love a boy who told you that you meant nothing? Who had been ready to sell his body to evil in order to gain the satisfaction of revenge?

How could she love Sasuke Uchiha?

Sakura took another bite of chocolate, and pulled the foil down a little bit more. It crinkled in her hands. Hell, she'd have a better chance at being with a boy like Sai, with no social skills or emotional know-how whatsoever. She bit down hard and swallowed. At least Sai was thoughtful, and kind, and had some sense of dignity and loyalty to the people he cared about.

At least when she opened the door to her locker on Valentine's Day, Sai knew that she existed.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly and ignored the contracting in her chest, trying to focus in on the music in her left ear. Then why was it, when she cuddled up in bed at night, it was Sasuke she had nightmares of losing? And why was it that when she woke up in cold sweat, it was Sasuke she wanted to reach out for?

Sakura sighed and peeled the foil on her chocolate bar down farther, turning the music up on her ear bud. _Because you don't get over something like this just like 'that'. _She thought to herself as she opened the door to the main hall. _It's just going to take… a little more time. _She tried to believe it. She really did.

It had been eight months since she'd had that confrontation with him. Once she got over it she would be done with him… she _would._

She broke off what she promised herself would be the last piece of chocolate she'd eat today. She knew she'd been distracted. She wrinkled her nose at Naruto's words. But that was because it was Valentine's Day. And the only person she _wanted_ was… Sasuke.

She popped the last piece of chocolate into her mouth and wished that it would last forever, but immediately it started to melt in her mouth. In all her life, she had never once given up on Sasuke Uchiha. Not in love, not in battle, not in any aspect of anything. But, right about now, she was going to have to start.

She folded over the edge of the foil, so distracted that she didn't even notice the person coming up behind her. She practically hit the ceiling when his hand closed around her shoulder. Spinning around, she instinctively put up one arm for defense, jerking to a halt when her wrist was caught effortlessly in mid air. The music fell from her left ear as her headphones hit the ground.

"Did Sai give you that?"

She was caught on those dark Uchiha eyes before she could even respond.

He pressed her further, his hand tightening on her wrist. "Did Sai give you that?" He repeated.

And this time she forced herself to reply. "Yes, he did." There was a moment of silence, and then: "Why?"

Sasuke stared at her, and his hold around her wrist didn't slacken any. She tried to resist the urge to do something and instead tried to pretend as if it didn't affect her at all. But it did.

She saw something flicker behind those perfect onyx orbs and felt her breath catch. Something was different. Sasuke's lips parted as he started to say something, but only silence reigned between them. And then, "I got you one too."

She blinked. "What?" Her hair still smelled of roses.

"I got you a… flower." He said stupidly. Then he glared at her as if he were daring her to laugh. If she wasn't so shocked she almost would have.

The yellow flower shot back into her mind and realization struck. She allowed herself to stare openly at him. "Wuh… I – _why_?"

His cold black eyes seemed to cloud over with something she'd never known to be a part of him. He didn't answer, only stared at her until her heart started to pick up an ever so slightly faster cadence. His fingers were still wrapped around her wrist.

_Because I do have regrets. _Onyx melted into green, and she tried to understand what his expression couldn't say out loud. _I lied – to both of us… _for _both of us._

There was only screaming silence between them.

_Why? _Emerald grew hazy with pain as her eyes searched his.

And onyx hardened. _…Because – we could never work. _

Her heart contracted painfully, and Sasuke pulled her closer to him. She felt him exhale lightly onto her lips, and his breath was hot, setting her nerves on fire. She knew it was a mistake. But she still closed her eyes.

He kissed her softly on the mouth. And the first thing the Uchiha thought was that Sakura tasted like the chocolate Sai had given to her. He held to her a little more tightly, his fingers still inside the leather gloves he'd been wearing on his way out. It was the first time Sasuke had ever tasted chocolate.

It was surprisingly sweet upon his lips. And at the same time, a little bit bitter.

_Happy Valentine's Day. _

_Yellow Chrysanthemum – Slighted Love_

_Sakura flowers – **In Japan**: transience of life **In China**: feminine principal and beauty; love_.


	3. a dampened heart shaped box

**A/N**: Oh dear. I do believe I'm a bit late. Oh well, this was a pain to write, but I think I'm mildly okay with it. Then agian, I have strange taste. But anyway, tomorrow is my birthday and I figure that this can be a sort of mini-present to myself. Please try to enjoy, it may be difficult.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto! (bursts into tears)

* * *

It was roughly seven o'clock at night when Sasuke caught her wrist as she passed by his stool. Naruto sat one seat away, but as he was happily slurping down his ramen – and thus had entered his own, impervious little world – it was clear that Sasuke wasn't worried about their blonde teammate overhearing them.

The glare he shot her cut into her pulse, his fingertips – clenched into the soft skin of her wrist – made her flinch instinctively. His hard Uchiha eyes narrowed darkly at her and a soft anger began to bubble beneath his usually placid expression. "You're mad at me." He accused, his voice low.

Sakura let her lips form a thin line and pulled a little, hinting her desire for freedom. But her boyfriend held tight. "Observant of you." She remarked. "I'm impressed."

"What is it." He demanded more than asked, regarding her in dead seriousness.

This time, Sakura _did _break her wrist free of his hand and rubbed it gently. "Why don't _you_ – figure – it – out." She ground the words out between perfect white teeth before she turned around and stomped away. He didn't know whether or not she was planning on coming back. His heart contracted ever so slightly as he watched her walk away from him. If they hadn't been in, you know, _public_ he would have probably stood up and gone after her.

But then everyone in Konoha would know that Uchiha could be moved out of his seat for – God forbid – a _girl_. Instead, he stared after her for a while, then scoffed and swiveled back to his ramen, staring at it disdainfully, wishing he could make _it_ pick itself up and walk away from him just as easily. He hated the stuff.

A particularly loud slurp and accompanying belch to his left signified that Naruto had finished. "Sasuke! You haven't eaten anything!" The blonde complained after looking his way.

Sasuke looked at his steaming, untouched noodles and then at Sakura's half eaten ones between them, then he looked at Naruto. "I'm leaving." He informed.

"Huh?" Naruto leaned over his seat to call after the Uchiha. "But we're supposed to be _celebrating_!" He complained loudly. Sasuke said nothing. Naruto angrily slammed his fist down on the counter. "Hey, get back here teme! I worked my _ass_ off for that mission and you're gonna damn well come back here and appreciate it by eating this ramen or I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Still nothing.

"…" He paused for a moment. And then, "Sasuke!" Naruto bellowed loudly. "If you leave, then whose going to PAY!?!"

Suddenly, the owner of the Irichikaru was looming over Naruto's head, a demonic aura radiating. "_**U-u-zu-u-u-ma-a-ki-i-i**!_" He growled ominously, and Naruto could already hear the rest of the sentence in his head: _This is the seventeenth time you haven't paid me!!! _Thin blonde hairs at the back of his neck stood on end, warning him to get out now. Danger! Danger!

Naruto grinned nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Err- one second." He promised, and with a puff of smoke he vanished, leaving to the cook to stand there staring at the now empty stool and look even more irately frightening with his… spatula, or whatever those things were called.

Poof!

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he appeared at his best friend's shoulder. "What the hell was that? I _told _you I was broke! If you don't have the decency to pay for our dinner then why the hell do you come to these-"

"Here."

Naruto's rant was cut off by the sound of coins clinking together. Sasuke didn't even blink at handing his blonde friend a good 80 or so dollars. Naruto stared at the coins which had been dropped into his palm, the gears in his head turning as he slowly processed what had just happened, and then considered his options and evaluated his priorities as Sasuke continued walking.

Then, with one last regretful look at the ramen stand and irate, spatula-wielding chef he was leaving behind, he pocketed the money with a sigh and started after his friend.

"What's up?" He asked casually, his tone a bit darker, more serious as he fell into stride with his child hood companion.

Sasuke shot him a dirty glare – but then, what else was new? "Nothing. Mind your own business."

Naruto continued walking with him. "Why don't you ever make it easy?" He asked, smiling faintly.

"Why do you never leave something alone when I ask you to?" Sasuke countered.

Naruto gave Sasuke a _yeah-right _look which the Uchiha pretended not to notice and after a while they fell into silence. When they hit the bridge, Naruto spoke again. "Is it about Sakura?"

Sasuke stopped and looked at him, his body still, almost bracing.

Naruto shrugged. "I just kinda picked up on it."

"You just '_kinda picked up on it'_?" Sasuke repeated dryly. "You're _Naruto_." _Oblivious_.

"And you're _Sasuke."_ The blonde accused. _Point_.

Sasuke scoffed and rested his forearms on the railing of the bridge that Team Seven used to wait on every morning for Kakashi. The water beneath him glittered. And he refused to believe that he was so bad at reading his own girlfriend that _Naruto_ of all people would pick up on it before he would. Shikamaru – maybe, Kiba, even would have been acceptable. Naruto? – No.

"What did you _do_ to her anyway?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke frowned. "I didn't do anything."

The blonde furrowed his brow and then swooped up onto the railing Sasuke was leaning on, squatting down and resting his forearms on his thighs, not even concerned about losing balance. "Well that's stupid." He said bluntly.

Sasuke glared at him.

"Not even yesterday?"

Sasuke growled. "What _about_ yesterday?"

Naruto STARED. "Uh, it was Valentine's Day, you jerk."

"…What?"

"**Val **– **En** – **Tine's** – **Day**." Naruto repeated, more slowly now and louder.

Sasuke scowled at his best friend. "I _know_ what it is." He snapped.

"You didn't even remember did you?" Naruto said dully, his shock blue eyes half-lidded in a _how could you be that dumb_ look.

Sasuke looked away and through the tiniest exhale of his breath, made a noise that was something akin to frustration. "I've never had to remember that day in my life." Sasuke defended himself. "Why should I have to remember it now?"

"Because you have Sakura." Naruto said.

Sasuke continued to glower at the water beneath him. "_Had _Sakura." He corrected. "She's been on edge with me for months now, and yesterday she was _fuming_." He didn't know if she would forgive him this time.

Naruto leaned forward a little in his squat and let a half-smile twist his lips. "Figures." He said. "You haven't been making the effort."

Sasuke looked at him. "What are you saying?" He asked, voice sharp as razors.

"What I'm _saying_, bastard is that you forgot about Valentine's Day, you barely gave her anything for Christmas and the most I've ever seen you do with her in public is - oh, let me think… _nothing_."

Sasuke remained silent while Naruto scolded him, taking the words and letting them sink in. Naruto was vaguely surprised when the Uchiha didn't tell him to shut up or butt out. "I'm not…" The Uchiha started and then stopped, taking the smallest of breaths. "I'm not _romantic_, is what you're saying." Naruto noticed how the fingers pressed ever so slightly against the wood on the bridge. "But Sakura knows that. She's always known that. I'm not the one who-"

"Initiated the relationship. I know. _Everyone_ knows."

His best friend' voice grew slightly quieter. "It used to be enough for her to just be with me." Sasuke said, voice as dark as his expression as he studied water. "But… lately, I-"

Naruto waited.

"She's growing tired of me." Sasuke finished. "I knew it would happen."

Naruto looked down at the floor boards of the bridge and ran his thumb over his eyebrow before looking at Sasuke. "I didn't." He said.

Sasuke looked at him, surprised.

"I think she's crazy about you." Naruto said. "It's just that… it's not so obvious that you're crazy about her."

Sasuke _looked_ at his best friend.

"I know, I know. You _are_." Naruto said tiredly. "But, maybe… She's been trying to be strong you know. Haven't you noticed the way she's been training? And on the mission today she nearly got herself killed for me and you."

Sasuke's jaw tightened as he fought down the wave of nausea that came every time he thought of Sakura being endangered in a mission.

"You know who you really ought to talk to?"

"Sakura." Sasuke guessed.

"No." Naruto said so suddenly that he nearly fell off the bridge. "I mean yes." He said, clearing his throat. "But uh, you should probably talk to this person first…"

**SS**

He could not believe he was doing this.

Stupid Naruto.

Stupid Valentine's Day, and stupid, stupid, _stupid _Sakura.

The person he had been waiting for was finally leaving Shikamaru's house, sighing in the dim air of almost-dark as she headed home alone. She didn't seem to sense him at all, yet when he stepped out of the shadow she showed no signs of surprise. He caught the little flare of anger that flashed behind her eyes.

Great.

"Yamanaka." He said.

"I'm busy." She answered, and attempted to brush past him. He cut rudely in front of her, and saw the rage ignite in her eyes as she opened her mouth.

"It's about Sakura." He said.

Her lips sealed shut in a second, but the blue fire still smoldered beneath her lashes. He wondered if she had ever been endangered in a mission, every emotion she felt was reflected in those baby blues. "What is it?" She asked.

"I need to talk to you." Damn it, he had really meant to not hesitate.

The blonde in front of him folded her arms defiantly and Sasuke scowled. This was going to take some work. _Stupid Naruto_. Ino opened her mouth again, defiance radiating off her skin in waves. "What makes you think that I-"

The Sharingan that snapped into his eyes actually allowed him to induce a moment of fear behind Ino's ice blue eyes. He saw her take a step back before she could undo it and let a smirk slip across his face. "Now would be nice." He said.

An hour later they were still sitting at a café.

"Are you going to say anything helpful?" Sasuke finally asked, highly annoyed.

Ino let go of the straw of her third drink and it swiveled around the rim one full circle before it lulled to a stop. "Are you ever going to straight out ask me a question? Or are you going to continue beating around the bush like a baby?"

Sasuke grit his teeth. He _really_ didn't want to be doing this. "What has Sakura told you?" He repeated.

"You're a hell of a sucky boyfriend." Ino answered.

"Each time you say that I grown more enlightened." Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Don't care." Ino countered.

There was a pregnant pause. And then he let the anger get the best of him.

"_Listen_." Sasuke's stool slid out from behind him as he half-stood, his voice lowered dangerously and he leaned across their table. "I'm _not_ going to lose her because some stupid, blonde, _flower girl_ refuses to-!"

The sudden smile the spread across Yamanaka's face was disconcerting enough to stop Sasuke in mid-sentence.

"…What?" He asked.

"Oh so you _do_ value her." Ino said, taking a satisfied sip from her drink, smiling a pretty smile that made her blue eyes sparkle. "That's more like it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke blinked, confused. "_What_?"

Ino put her drink down and pushed it away, everything about her that had once been closed off and uncooperative suddenly melted away. She'd went from being a brick wall to a gushing fountain of information in a matter of seconds. The speed of her transformation was truly startling. "From Sakura's stories, I wasn't sure that you actually liked her."

Sasuke STARED. "Would I-" he started angrily, and then the words stopped in his throat. Had he seriously almost said something semi-personal to Ino Yamanaka? What as _wrong_ with him? He realized that he was still half-standing over the table from when he'd angrily threatened her. Slowly, he sat back down.

Ino watched him carefully and then sighed, pushing her loose blonde hair over a pale shoulder and pulling it away from where it covered her right eye. "Look, Sasuke." He didn't like the fact that she addressed him so casually, but then, he supposed that she'd done it since they were children. "I don't think Sakura's mad at you."

Ohh-kay. Maybe she wouldn't be helpful at all. Because even the stupidest _idiot_ could see that Sakura definitely _was _angry with him. He almost got up to leave.

"She's sad."

He sat back down. "What do you mean."

Ino looked at the ceiling and thought about how to word what she wanted to say. "Dating you is pretty much like… dating a brick wall."

Sasuke's eyebrow shot up fractionally. "Excuse me?"

"I mean…" Ino sighed. "You know she loves you right?" A different tactic.

Sasuke STARED.

"And I mean that she _loves_ you, Sasuke."

He searched for any sign of insincerity in her eyes. If this was Ino's idea of a joke, he was going to kill slowly and painfully her. "But, with every day that goes by it gets clearer and clearer that you don't feel the same way about her. For a while, she said she felt like she was always just waiting for you to break up with her. And then when you didn't get her anything for Christmas so she was certain that it would happen soon. And then you never did, never changed, never even let her know what was going on and she just grew more and more upset." Ino took a moment to pause and then continued. "It's hard because she cares so deeply about you, but she still feels like you're just dating her out of pity or habit or… obligation."

Sasuke sat at the table, staring at the sheen the fluorescent light above his head cast onto its glossed surface. "When you said she _loved_ me-"

"I mean like truly, madly, deeply, ready to step in front of a bus for you love. The works." Ino said. "And it's not like it's been easy for her to love you either. She thought you were perfect when we were at the academy and then you…"

Sasuke felt the tension suddenly permeate the air as Ino faltered.

"You… did what you did." She said slowly. "You left and she changed everything to get you back. And she realized that maybe you weren't perfect when… that thing happened. And after she and the idiot brought you back, she realized that she still loved you anyway."

"Isn't that enough?" Sasuke asked. The instant the words were out of his mouth, he knew that they were wrong. Wrong to say, wrong to think, just wrong.

Ino's face looked as if she had tasted something sour. "I'm going to pretend like you didn't just say that to me."

Sasuke stood to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ino asked, grabbing onto his shirt sleeve.

"Out." He said, shaking her off and heading towards the door. Then he stopped, "…Thank you, Yamanaka." He forced the words out like swallowing medicine.

From her seat the blonde girl grinned. "Always remember how I made you do that, Uchiha."

He was gone.

**SS**

When Sakura opened the door to her apartment she was exhausted, sweaty, and shaking from the freezing rain that had soaked her clothing. She shut the door with a quiet click behind her. The training she had done after leaving the ramen stand had been intense, as had the full out run back home during the downpour, but these days it was the only way she knew to vent out her emotions. She couldn't talk to Sasuke about them, "Pch." She made a noise of distain and moved for the lights, he would only think of her as being weak.

As she moved to flick the familiar spot on the wall for light, a hand closed on hers. Instinctively her entire body tightened in the dark. And then a second hand moved to her cheek. She recognized the sword calluses on his right thumb. "What are you doing here?" She asked, body loosening fractionally.

"You're shaking." Was all Sasuke said.

"I'm cold." She responded.

The hand left her cheek. "I think we need to talk, Sakura."

The rose haired girl felt the pit of bile condense in her stomach. This was it. She'd finally blown it. And now he was going to break her off like a rotting limb, something he didn't need. Sakura lifted her chin and regarded the dark shape that was her boyfriend with a steady emerald gaze. Well, at least she was ready for it.

He turned on the light to its lowest click, and a dim, honey-colored bulb flickered to life beneath his fingertips. "I want you." He said simply when he saw her face, his black Uchiha eyes deadly serious.

She blinked. "_What_?" Ok, maybe she wasn't ready.

"I… I think I thought that you knew me better." Sasuke said. "I'm not," He started and then stopped, conflicted. "I can't-" he stopped again, frustration apparent on his features as Sakura watched, stunned. Was this actually happening?

"What are you trying to say?" She finally asked.

He looked at her. "I can't." He said. "But… you say what you haven't been saying, and we'll go from there."

She let her lips form a thin line. "Don't ask that of me, Sasuke. You know what I'm going to say. And-"

He took a step closer towards her and the sudden anger was what silenced her. "_I don't want to lose you_." He said hotly, his breath like hot metal on her face.

Sakura stared at him.

"But if you don't start cooperating. If you don't start _talking _to me, then-"

She turned away from him suddenly and moved away, her shoulders hunched as she shivered. He realized now that she was only wearing a training top and the same short skirt she'd always worn with those shorts. He looked out at the freezing February rain that was splattering against her window and realized that she must have been freezing.

"I don't want you to think-" Her breath seemed to catch and she laughed weakly, the tone of her voice so different than the harsh ones she'd been using with him since a month ago. He was stunned how familiar those mild tones were. He missed them. "Well, you've ruined it again, Sasuke." She said softly.

His heart contracted painfully and he let his hands form fists. "What does that_ mean_, Sakura?" He forced it out of his chest and she grew still at the raw emotion in his voice. He was lost and confused and hurt and for the first time in their entire history together he was starting to let her see it.

"I'm… I was planning on going out of this with some grace." She said. "So that maybe you wouldn't think badly of me after it was over."

"What?"

"I was ready for you to break up with me." She said. "I've been ready. And if you want to, you can, you know. I just…" She sighed shakily, tiredly. "I didn't want you to think of me as being _weak_ again."

Wordlessly he reached out and grabbed at her pale figure, pulling her around, and kissing her hard. It felt so good to have her lips on his again. He realized how cold her skin was to his touch and pulled her harder to him, moving his hands all over her body to warm her as well as to touch her again after almost a month of no meaningful physical contact.

He could tell he'd surprised her, because at first she froze. Then, slowly she opened up her mouth to his and he was surprised to find that their heat grew. Suddenly she was grabbing onto him, intense, kissing him just as hard as he was kissing her, wanting, needing, and giving unconditionally. It was dizzying for him.

When they finally need air, he broke away from her, both of them breathing hard and reeling with emotions and trying to recover. He pressed his forehead against hers while their hot breaths mingled and they took a moment together. "I _want_ this." He said, pulling her closer, trying to ignore the electric charge of having her in his arms again. Her fingers were in his hair at the back of his head, her delicate wrists pressed into the back of his neck. He could feel their pulse there, racing hot. "I want _you_."

She closed her eyes and a pained expression crossed her features. He held her tighter and when she opened them again, forehead still pressed to his, they held the beginning of tears. "Not as much as I want you." She whispered, and then she seemed to regret it. "I didn't want you to know that."

"Know what?" he asked lifting his chin to lift hers in effect.

"_That_. …Sasuke, you mean, a lot to me. Do you…? I don't think you realize just how much. I didn't want you to be disgusted with me."

"Disgusted?" He pressed his lips against hers again and whispered, "How could you think-"

"You've always thought emotions were a weakness." She countered.

He said nothing because she had him there.

"But I'm… I'm sorry, I just." She tried to turn her face away from him, but his hand left her waist and caught the side of the face.

"I feel the same, Sakura."

She stared. "What… do you mean?" She asked.

"Emotions… they are a weakness." He said firmly. "They get in my way, and they cloud my judgment. But I feel them."

She smiled a little, but the emotion wasn't behind her eyes.

"Sakura, I don't show it like you do - I _can't_. And I'm not romantic. But… I feel the same way about you." He saw the doubt in her eyes and tried his hardest to extinguish it. "I _swear_."

She looked at him, as if trying to decide whether or not she believed what he was saying. "So… you're not going to end it with me." She tested.

An angry growl escaped him as he held her tighter. "How many times do I have to tell you?" He asked. "No."

She smiled briefly, and this time it was real. He almost smiled back. "And I _am_ important to you." She said.

"Yes." He answered. "I would not be here if I didn't want to be here." He said in all seriousness.

She grinned, and this time he couldn't help but allow the smallest of smiles touch his face.

"I got you something." He said after a moment.

She blinked. "What?"

"For yesterday."

She STARED at him. "You bought a Valentine." She said, dubious.

Sasuke scowled. "Don't say that out loud."

Sakura laughed and he felt his entire body heat with pride. He hadn't been the source of her laughter in a long, long time. A few minutes later, he handed her a small, red, heart-shaped box of cardboard. When she peeled the soggy cover off, there was an assortment of cheap, slightly damp chocolates inside.

For a long time, she didn't say anything.

"It's a little wet." Sasuke said. "The rain took me by surprise and-"

And then she kissed him again. Slower, longer, deeper than their desperate kisses a while before. "I love them." She said quietly when they're lips parted, sincerely.

He smiled.

* * *

Right, right... a cheesy ending but whatever, I'm happy I could end this at all. Please review? (Actually it's so ridiculously past Valentine's Day that I won't hold it agianst you if you don't. Have a nice day!)


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